Plate-lifter



(No Model.)

C. A. CRAWFORD.

PLATE LIFTER.

No. 339,973, Patented Apr. 13, 1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. CRAYFFORD, OF THOMPSON, CONNECTICUT.

PLATE-LIFTER.

l'ECIl-"ICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 339,973, dated April 13, 1886.

Application filed January 2, |886. Serial No. 187,482. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. CRAWFORD, of Thompson, iu the county of \Vindham,' State of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Plate-Lifters, ofwhich the following is a description sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in the art or science to which said invention appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of my improved plate-lifter, and Fig. 2 a top plan view of the same.

Likeletters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawings.

Myinvention relates to that class of platelifters which are designed for domestic use in lifting or handling hot pie-plates and similar articles; and it consists in a novel construction and arrangement of the parts, as hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed, the object being to prod ucea simpler, cheaper, and more effective device of this character than has been heretofore ordinarily employed for the 'same purpose.

The nature and operation of the improvement will be readily understood by all conversant with such matters from the following explanation:

In the drawings, A B represent the handles, and C C the holders. The handles are preferably composed of wood, and may be of any suitable form and size. The rear ends of the handles are connected by a coiled spring, D, which acts expansively to separate them radially, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. Each of the handles is provided with a holder, C, adapted to pass under the edge of the plate.

rPhe holder for the handleA consists of two horizontally-arranged arms, j' f, projecting outwardly in parallelism with each other and on a plane with the top of said holder, as shown in Fig. 2, two downwardly-projecting arms, b b, suspended in parallelism with each other from the outer ends of the arms f f, and a rod, e, connecting the lower ends of the arms b b, said rod being curved inwardly at its center toward the handle A, as shown in Fig. 2, and downwardly at its center, as shown in Fig. l, to enable it to engage or grasp the plate to better advantage. The arms f f are each provided with a short downwardly-projecting arm (not shown) which is driven into a hole at x in the upper side of the arm A, thereby attaching the holder to said arm. The rod z, arms b bff, and the short arms which are driven into the holes .r x are integral or composed of a single piece of wire.

The holder C l'or the handle B is constructed and attached to said handle in substantially the same manner as described for the handle A, the holders being arranged opposite each other and in such a manner as to project outwardly from their respective handles, as shown in Fig. 2. A rod, E, provided with the iinger-piece r, is fitted to slide longitudinally on the outer face of the handle B in the lugs t Z. A coiled spring, H, is disposed around said rod, one end ot' said spring abutting against the lugt and the other firmly secured to the rod at o, the spring acting eXpansively to force the rod toward the outer ends of the handles A B. A screw-eye, k, is inserted horizontally in the handle A near its outer end, said eye being adapted to pass through a hole, a, in the handle B when the handles are closed, and project beyond the outer face of said handle, as shown in Fig. 2.

The object ofthe rod E, lugs t Z, eye k, and spring H is to form a lock for keeping the handles closed when the lifter is not in use.

In the use of my improvement the handles A B are grasped in the right hand with the forefinger over the finger-piece r. The rod E is then withdrawn from the eye k by pulling with the finger on the finger-piece, thereby unlocking the handles, after which the grasp of the hand on the handles is relaxed, permitting the spring D to expand, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2.

Vhen the handles have been expanded by the spring D sufficiently to permitthe holders to span the plate, the holders are passed downwardly over it, one at either side thereof, and the handles closed until the holders grasp the plate, after which it may be lifted and manipulated in a manner which will be readily 0bvious without a more explicit description.

When the lifter is not in use, the rod E is withdrawn by the nger piece or pull r, the

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handles closed, and the rod released, thereby permitting it to enter the eye 7c and lock the handles together.

It will be obvious that the handles may be locked and unlocked, andthe lifter manipulated to lift the plate with the use of but one hand.

I am aware of Letters Patent Nos. 196,861 and 65,616; but as my invention is essentially different from the lifters therein respectively shown and described, I do not herein4v claim the same or any part thereof when in and of itself considered.

The lifter shown and describedin PatentNo. 196,861, is provided with two lhandles and a spring adapted to expand the handles, the Wire forming the spring passing through the handles longitudinally and being bent in front thereof into jaws adapted to grasp the plate; but as the forward end of the jaws are left without any direct support they are liable to become bent, and as there is no locking device to keep the handles closed when the lifter is not in use the spri-ng erpands them and causes the lifter to occupy more space than'it would if provided with means for holding the handles closed when required.

e Thelifter shown in Patent No. 65,616 iscomposed entirely of wire, and is open to'the same objections which appertain to the lifter shown in Patent No. 196,861, not being provided with a locking device kfor the handles, or with sufficient means .for preventing the jaws from becoming bentand displaced.

- In my improved lifter the handles extend y beyond the jaws or holders C C, thus affording them ample support, and a simple and'e'ective locking device is provided for keeping the handles closed when required. f

Having thus explained my invention, what I claim is-q In a plate-lifter, the lugs t l, spring H, eye k, and rod E, provided with the pull r, in-combination with the handles A B, provided with 'the spring D, and holders C C, constructed,

combined, and arranged to operate substantially as set forth. l

' CHARLES A. CRAWFORD. Vv'itnesses:

GEORGE B. HOWARD, CLARENCEA COMAN. 

